Digitization Coordinator & Rights Manager

Milwaukee Art Museum

Position Title: Digitization Coordinator & Rights Manager
Job: Full-Time, Union position
Minimum Pay rate: $19.11 per hour
Supervisor: Manager of Digital Assets

Overview
A member of the Knowledge Management Department and reporting to the Manager of Digital Assets, this full-time position oversees scheduling and coordination of collection and exhibition imaging, as well as manage reproduction permissions and rights for photography.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and fulfill rights and reproduction requests, including producing contracts, procuring and delivering image files to internal and external requesters.
• Oversee and coordinate the photography of collection and exhibition objects, including setting imaging priorities in consultation with the Manager of Digital Assets, curators, registrars, Collections Manager of Works on Paper, and conservation staff to support the museum’s digitization efforts.
• Coordinate and schedule the logistics of object prep and movement in consultation  with the registrars and Collection’s Manager of Works on Paper for photography with the part-time preparator and the collection photographer.
• Work closely with Artists’ Rights Society and other licensors to obtain reproduction rights for museum publications, web content, digital projects, newsletters, exhibitions, and educational, promotional, and marketing projects.
• Assist the Manager of Digital Assets with the organization and maintenance of the museum’s DAM, ResourceSpace, in regards to rights information access which includes the ingest and update of rights information in the DAM so that it is available to museum staff.
• Maintain statistics related to the pace of digitization and other photography relative to grant-related goals.
• Make budget recommendations related to rights and reproductions.
• Manage and update the museum’s object collection rights information in the museum’s content management system, The Museum System (TMS).
• Develop and update rights management best practices and guide the museum staff on copyright basics.
• Work with the Knowledge Management team to develop Open Access and Creative Commons licensing.
• Liaise with other museum departments as needed for clearing image use permissions.
• Conduct research to determine image and artist rights, ownership of copyright and required clearances.
• Correspond with rights owner(s) or legal representatives concerning copyright and permissions.
• Secure blanket permissions or non-exclusive contracts for new acquisitions when possible.
• Update and maintain current copyright notices and related rights information regarding all sections on the museum website.
• Provide due diligence in cases of potential orphan works and unknown copyright assertion.
• Assist in bringing existing rights records up to appropriate standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree, ideally in Museum Studies or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in a rights acquisition position, preferably within an art museum or image archive.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills; possess attention to detail and display good judgment.
• Excellent computer skills and aptitude with databases are necessary.
• Experience with photo research, image acquisition, and image licensing contracts and processes.
• A high level of initiative, problem solving skills, and project management capabilities.
• A thorough understanding of intellectual property law, including “fair use” and similar copyright issues preferred.
• Basic understanding of digital imaging standards and formats.
• Familiarity with TMS, digital asset management systems, and print and media technologies are preferred.
• The ability to work collaboratively with others as part of a team as well as independently.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• The drive to improve and expand the distribution of and access to the museum’s permanent collection and exhibition assets.